Raising The Bar – Cocktail Trends

I’m constantly amazed at the professionalism of the city’s fantastic bartenders. For this issue, we went in search of some of the cool trends in cocktails.

Each of the three bartenders with whom we spoke had her or his unique style. All three came up with different drinks and different trends. I found the visit quite educational and refreshingly delicious.

Nota Bene bartender

NOTA BENE

When my photographer, Temple Hill, and I paid a visit, Nota Bene had only recently changed its name - from Pizza Tonight. Sara Matthews, the G.M. and the lady who heads up the cocktail/bar program at Nota Bene, prepared our cocktail. The Negroni Bianco is a variation on the traditional Negroni. Sara says, “The Negroni is absolutely trendy right now.”

It’s not a new drink. The Negroni is said to have been invented in Florence in 1919 after Italian nobleman, Count Negroni, asked the bartender to have his usual Americano amped up by replacing the soda water with gin

I have my own theory as to why this old drink is so trendy. The dryness of the Negroni makes it a perfect appetite enhancer. And with the current focus on food and the culinary arts, my guess is that foodies view this as a great drink to enjoy prior to their meals. When you’re out for an evening of fine dining, you don’t want to start with something that’s going to ruin your appetite.

The classic Negroni cocktail calls for equal parts Gin, Vermouth and Campari. Sara’s variation included Plymouth Gin, because of it’s dryness, as well as Cocchi Americano as opposed to the more bitter Campari. She used dry Vermouth, instead of traditional red Vermouth.

There might be some truth to the drink’s appetite-stimulating properties, because I attacked the charcuterie platter that Victoria DeRoche, the owner of Nota Bene, chose for the pairing. The platter consisted of both a house-made sausage and terrine, as well as prosciutto, Castelvetrano olives, pickled cauliflower and marinated mushroom caps. It was a fabulous appetizer and definitely paired well with the drink.

Dutch & Company cocktail

DUTCH & COMPANY

Aaron LeMire, the bar manager at Dutch & Company, takes a very studious approach to his trade. He chose to create a drink that incorporates a trend, which until my visit, I was not familiar with. Perhaps you’ve heard of fat-washing cocktails.

The website Drinks.SeriousEats.com explains it this way: “It's actually a clever cocktail technique that adds savory flavor to spirits. To fat wash your alcohol, you just add a liquid like sesame oil or melted butter to a spirit at room temperature. Let it sit for a few hours, then chill everything in the fridge or freezer until the fat solidifies and can easily be skimmed off. The spirit retains the flavors of the fat even after you've done the skimming.” The process allows one to enjoy the flavor without the greasiness. I wish someone could figure out how to do that with bacon. Actually, some do use bacon fat in the fat-washing process.

Aaron chose sesame oil for his aptly named cocktail – Open Sesame. He also selected Scotch as his alcohol of choice. He says Scotch works much better than Gin, which is often the alcohol used for fat washing. As regards the inspiration for the drink, he tells me, “It was me wanting to do something that hasn’t been done before.”

He says the flavors of the Scotch and the sesame work well in tandem. “After the fat is skimmed off, leaving nothing but alcohol, the drink is so potent that it is then diluted with more Scotch,” he adds.

The Petersburg native, who has been in the business for about seven years, says that he chose to pair the drink with a dish featuring cauliflower that has been prepared four ways – pickled, roasted, dehydrated and pureed, with a raisin puree also included. “I chose the pairing for the earthiness,” he says. “Both the drink and the dish are very earthy. They meld well together.”

Noodle and Bar cocktail

MY NOODLE AND BAR

My Noodle and Bar is a trendy place in its own laid-back sort of way. Owner Joe Kiatsuranon is always looking for ways to outdo himself, like the time he, virtually on a whim, closed the place down and re-created the entire interior, building “treehouse” private dining areas and installing porch-swing seating.

Bar manager Maddy Pere is a perfect complement to the management team. She, like Joe, is always seeking to perfect her craft. One of the trends in the industry, which Maddy uses to full effect is the infused ice cube.

“We make a Negroni with Campari in the cubes,” she says. For our visit, Maddy crafted a Spicy Cucumber and Mint Mojito. The drink is made with Appleton Estate Jamaican Rum and Thai chili syrup. The mint and cucumber are frozen in the cube.

Not only is this somewhat trendy, but it saves time, says Maddy. She can do her prep work, cutting the garnishes and herbal ingredients, and then rather than having to worry that they may wilt before they’re used, she just freezes them in the ice.

Maddy says she makes various versions of the mojito, one of which has smoked grapefruit frozen into the cube. She says that as the ingredients melt into the drink, it makes for an awesome experience for guests.

In my opinion, devouring the appetizer was an awesome experience. The spring rolls complemented the drink in a most delightful way. They even kind of looked alike, especially with the drink being served in a bamboo-styled glass.

I think that the next time I’m there, I’m going to have that drink and that appetizer and sit on the fantastic patio and enjoy the view. It’s nice to have my life planned out so beautifully.

In our next issue, we’ll be showcasing some of the city’s most beautiful bars, along with a drink and appetizer at each, of course. Any ideas? Send them to me at Steve@RichmondNavigator.com.